Dani Shay was a contender on the second season of The Glee Project. They were eliminated in the second episode, Dance-ability.
Early life[]
Dani has been performing since they completed their very first talent competition in fifth grade and won second place. At age 16, after attending a theatre magnet program in High School, they started teaching themself how to play the guitar and write original songs, and have since written and independently released four albums and two singles. Dani made it on to the Top 48 of America’s Got Talent season six last year (2011), and gained a devoted following of online fans from doing so. They love to mix up their act with bits of comedy, rap, and audience participation. With such an independent attitude, Dani has expressed that they would want to play an androgynous female who bravely walks away from their Mormon upbringing, if they ever got the opportunity to be on Glee. Dani originally auditioned for The Glee Project at the Nashville open casting call. They have always loved to perform. Where their talent comes from is unknown.
Trivia[]
- They are a vegan.
- They were raised within the Mormon church.
- They were a contestant on "America's Got Talent" in 2011.
- They have moved to New York (Brooklyn).
- They have a YouTube channel where they showcase their songwriting/singing abilities. They said in an interview with GLAAD that "Songwriting is something I get a lot of joy out of!"
- They said on Twitter that they love to improvise with their voice.
- They taught themself how to play the guitar at age 16.
- They like to name their guitars (their newest one is named Rose).
- They tweeted "I was very laid back type at high school parties. I'm definitely a #peoplewatcher."
- They are attracted to women, as revealed in their interview with GLAAD (http://www.glaad.org/blog/dani-shay-speaks-glaad), saying ": I was 18 when I finally embraced my feelings for women fully. I still didn't understand my gender identity so well, but that's because we are raised to think you are either A or B- Girl or Boy- and that there are no in-betweens, or variations of the two. I see things differently now though- you can be however you want to be; there are no rules. My family was pretty supportive when I came out, as I don't think it was much of a surprise to anyone (I had been dropping hints all of my life, haha). But I do think it was hard for my Mom at first, just because the Mormon church I was raised in, doesn't exactly accept anything L,G,B,T or Q. She is amazing though, and has fully accepted me, my feelings, and all my life choices since then."
- They do not identify as a lesbian, as they are nonbinary transmasculine and therefore not a woman, as seen in their interview with Huffington Post: "People often want to call me a lesbian, which is accurate if you're looking at me as simply a female because yes, I do tend to gravitate toward other females. But the thing is that I don't view myself as only female, and I don't view myself as only male either. I feel like I'm a mix. It doesn't exactly feel accurate to call someone who feels that way a lesbian because of that male side of me. I don't think gender is so black-and-white. I think there are all these shades of gray that people want to overlook. That's not how the world works."
- They have never taken voice lessons before.
- Their favorite colors are shades of blue and green.
- They tweeted that their celebrity crush is Kate Winslet during Titanic. They also admire Hilary Swank and Ellen Degeneres.
- They say people that inspire them include Ani DiFranco, Alanis Morrisette and Eminem.
- Their mother is a midwife.
- They like to make merchandise featuring quotes from their videos and songs that are available for their fans to buy, including shirts, capes and FUNderwear.
- They are the youngest in their family. They say they have two sisters who are very girly.
- They like to draw and paint.
- They are the creator of an anti-bullying campaign called "Be More Heroic."
- They have five tattoos: a dreamcatcher on the inside of their right arm, a tree with a heart at the roots and a keyhole on the trunk on the inside of their left arm (symbolizing "the key to life is love"), a hummingbird on their left ankle, the heart symbol from the cover of their Free! EP on their hip, and a crown and a quote between their shoulder blades.
- After they were eliminated they cut their hair into a kind of mohawk style. (As seen on their "We Found Love" duet with Nellie)
- They used to work at Dandelion Communitea Cafe in Orlando.
- They have independently released four albums and two singles.
- They say they like to mix up their acts by including comedy, rap and audience participation.
- Formerly dated fellow contender Ali Stroker.
- They released an EP, "One", including a duet of them and Ali singing "Let It Snow".
- They appear in a dance scene on Glee in episode 4x14, titled 'I Do' which aired on the 14th of February 2013. They are seen dancing with a woman during the singing of "We've Got Tonite"
Songs[]
Solos[]
Homework Pogress[]
| Episode | 1 | 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Dani | FB | NC |
NC The contender had no comments from the mentor.
FB' The mentor gave the contender feedback since their performance could've been better.
Gallery[]
Videos[]
The Glee Project Season 2 -- Dani Shay Interview
Dani Shay Interview
"Edge Of Glory" - Dani Shay's Audition Tape for The Glee Project
"Edge Of Glory" - Dani Shay's Audition Tape for The Glee Project
The Glee Project! Dani Shay Interview! SEASON 2 danishay
Dani Shay Interview
Foster The People - "Pumped Up Kicks" - by Dani Shay & Justin Chase (@Be More Heroic)
Music video that Dani did for Be More Heroic
We Found Love - Dani & Nellie Cover
Keep Holding On - Dani Shay
